Refrigerated store window



Aug. 4, 1936. A. "r. MILLOTT 2,050,063

REFR IGERATED STORE WINDOW Filed March 7, 1955 Invent,

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Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATED STORE Arthur 'r. Millott, Euclid, omo. aiaaor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 7, 1935; Serial No. 9,768

12 Claims.

My invention relates to cooling apparatus for display compartments.

Perishable articles, such as cuts of meat, are frequently exhibited to' prospective purchasers 5 in various types of display compartments, which may be either in the form of a display case located inside of a store or a display window located in the front of the same facing the sidewalk. It is desirable to provide apparatus for i cooling such articles in order to preserve them,

so that they will remain salable and retain an attractive appearance. A display compartment of this type is usually closed and is provided with a transparent front panel. A cooling unit is provided to cool the air in the compartment, the

cooled air being circulated over the perishable articles displayed. Since the temperature of the air on the outside of the transparent front panel is usually relatively high the apparatus must be 20 arranged to prevent sweating of this front panel.

It is an object of my invention to provide a display compartment having a cooling appara tus so arranged that cooled air is supplied to and surrounds articles displayed in the compartment and in which a minimum amount of cooled air for this purpose is required.

It is a further object of my invention to avoid frosting or condensation on the transparent panel of a display compartment.

3 Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to ahd forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention,

reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which, Fig. 1 is aperspective view,-

partly in section, of an ordinary store-front diso play window equipped'with a cooling apparatus embodyingmy invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of a display window, simiiar to the one shown in Fig. 1, equipped with a modified form of cooling apparatus embodying 45 my invention.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1 I have shown a store-front display window embodying my invention and including a closed compartment l0 provided with a transparent front panel 50 ii made of plate glass, or the like, which is mounted in the front wall I! of a. store building. A separable casing l3, which is open at the top is provided, having a heat insulated floor and side walls within the compartment II), in order 55 to reduce the absorption of heat from the sup porting structure and the surrounding air. A cooling unit I4 is mounted in the lowerpart oi the casing IS on legs I 5, in order to provide a space at the bottom of the cooling unit M for the admission of air thereto. In this embodi- 5 ment of my invention, the cooling unit I4 includes a finned coil type evaporator, which is connected to a compressor and condenser unit located in any convenient place near the compartment i0. Other cooling units similar to the cooling unit l4 may be placed at spaced intervals along the base of the compartment iii, if required to obtain the necessary refrigeration capacity.

I have provided a baflle and shelf arrangement above the cooling unit It, which is so constructed that articles to be displayed are supported in a position to be readily viewed through the transparent front panel, while at the same time the current of cooled aid from the cooling unit is directed over them. This baiiie and shelf construction, which assists in directing the movement of the cooling air, as hereinafter described, includes an L-shaped baifie it supported on the top of the cooling unit l4. Terraced shelves l1 and I8, for articles to be displayed, are supported by the L-shaped baiiie i6 and by a vertical support IS, the latter being supported at its ends by the end walls of the casing l3. The terraced shelves l1 and I8 are arranged at such an angle that the articles carried thereon will be readily visible through the front panel il. These shelves are of open wirework construction, thus presenting openings in the surfaces thereof for the circulation of cooling air through them and over the articles supported thereon. The adjacent edges, of the shelves i1 and I8, are supported on the flanges formed by the angle irons Na and I9b, respectively. The angle irons i911 and lab are welded, or otherwise secured, to the upper and lower edges of the vertical support I 9, respectively, the angle iron Isa having a rearwardly extending portion on which the front edge of the shelf i1 is supported, and the lower angle iron l9b having a forwardly projecting portion on which the rear edge of the shelf I8 is supported. Perforations are provided in a vertical support l9 to direct the circulation of cooling air over the adjacent shelves. A second perforated vertical support 20 is connected to the end walls of the casing l3 and to the-upper rear edge of the L-shaped baiile I6. The vertical support 20 is'provided with angle irons 20a and 20b which are welded, or otherwise secured, to the upper and lower edges of the vertical support 20, respectively. The upper angle iron 20a has a rearwardly extending portion on which the front edge of a wire shelf 2| is supported. A lower angle iron 20b has a forwardly extending portion on which the rear edge of the shelf I1 is supported. The rear edge of the shelf 2| is supported on an angle iron 2Ia welded, or otherwise secured, to the rear wall of the easing II. An angle iron [8a is welded, or otherwise secured, to the front edge of the L-shaped baille ii and supports the front edge of the shelf II. The lower front edge of the L-shaped battle I is connected to the insulating casing I3 by a perforated support 22,. the upper edge of which is hooked over the upstanding portion of the angle iron a.

The air in the compartment III is positively circulated through the cooling unit I 4 by a fan, or other forced draft apparatus therein, and in passing over the heat absorbing surface of the cooling unit I4 is cooled thereby. Cooled air is discharged downwardly from an aperture in the bottom of the cooling unit H and divides into two divergent streams upon striking the bottom of the casing l3, as indicated by the arrows 23 and 24. The stream of air indicated by the arrow 22 passes toward the rear of the casing i3 and moves upwardly along the rear wall thereof through the wire shelf 2|. It will be noted that the L-shaped baiile l3 assists in thus directing the moving air. After passing through the shelf 2|, the air is drawn downwardly through the shelf l1 into the inlet of the cooling unit I. The inlet of the cooling unit I4 is provided with a grille 25 which registers with an aperture 26 formed in the horizontal portion of the L-shaped bafiie II. The air discharged from the cooling unit I4 and circulating as described thus completes an orbital circuit from the cooling unit through the shelves 2| and I1, and about the articles supported thereon, back to the cooling unit. The stream of air, discharged from the cooling unit I4 and indicated by the arrow 24, passes through a similar orbital circuit; that is, it moves upwardly through the apertures in the support 22 and is drawn across the articles supported on the shelf ll, through the apertures in this shelf and back to the inlet of the cooling unit I. As indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, some of the air passing over the shelves i1 and II passes through the apertures provided in the vertical support I! and then downwardly to the inlet of the cooling unit I. It is desirable to divide the cooled air into a plurality of streams, as described above, since the velocity of the circulating air may be reduced to one-half, for example, by dividing it into two streams, while at the same time an equal volume of cooled air is provided for each shelf. It is advantageous to utilize cooled air moving at a relatively low velocity, since the dehydration of the articles to be cooled may be somewhat reduced in this manner.

Store-front display windows of the type illustrated are usually relatively high and when equipped with cooling apparatus, in accordance with my invention, a stratum of relatively warm air will remain in the top of the compartment ll. Since it is lighter than the stratum of artificially cooled air in the lower portion of the compartment, it will have no natural tendency to move downward and displace the same. The orbital movement of the cooled air in paths closely adjacent the articles to be cooled, as described above, is especially adapted to maintain this stratified condition of the air in the compart- I ment, since a minimum amount of disturbaice is thus created. The disturbance of the stratum of warm air is also minimized by the use of a plurality of streams of cool air since the latter may be circulated at low velocity as explained above. As a consequence, only a part of the air in the compartment l0 need be passed through the cooling unit ll, in order to maintain the articles on display, at a sufllciently low temperature for preservation purposes, and economy is thus much improved. Also, since air is a comparatively poor conductor of heat, the stratum of still warm air in' the upper part of the compartment 10 serves to insulate the upper walls thereof, so that the insulated casing I3 need be extended only a short distance above the display shelves.

Some of the cooled air passing downwardly over the shelf 18 and through the perforated support 22 would ordinarily strike the transparent front panel II and since the exterior air is at a relatively higher temperature than the cooled air, the latter would tend to cause the condensation of moisture on the front panel II, that is sweating thereof. I avoid sweating of the front panel H in this manner, by providing a transparent bailie 21, which is mounted in the front edge of the insulating casing l3 and which extends across in spaced relation to the lower portion of the transparent front panel II. It is desirable that the transparent baille 21 should extend, upward only about half of the vertical height of the terraced shelves ll, i8 and 2|, both in order to economize material and in order that an observer standing outside the transparent front panel II will be able to view the articles displayed on the terraced shelves with unobstructed vision. In addition to the advantages noted the use of such abaille is to be preferred over a multiple glass window in that it may be easily installed with a cooling unit in available display compartments without modifying the construction of the latter.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modified form of cooling apparatus embodying my invention, which is supported in a store-front display window having a closed compartment 30 provided with a transparent front panel 3|. The compartment 30 is provided with a separable-insulating casing 32 having insulation in the walls of the base and side walls thereof, in order to prevent the absorption of heat from the supporting structure and surrounding air. A fln coil type cooling unit 33 is mounted in the lower part of the compartment 20 on the base of the insulating casing 32. The baflie and shelf construction, which I have shown in this modification of my invention, is preferably made of sheet metal and includes a Z-shaped member 34. Thelower portion 34a of the member 34 forms a vertical baflle extending entirely across the casing 32 between the side walls thereof, and is provided with an aperture in the lower portion thereof, closely surrounding the cooling unit 33, the baiile a being otherwise imperforate. The intermediate portion of a zshaped member 34 forms an imperforate shelf 35, and the upper portion thereof forms a vertical perforated bafile 30, which is secured to the lower edge of a forwardly extending portion 32 of the insulating casing 32. A second imperforate shelf 31, arranged in terraced relation with respect to the shelf 35, is formed by a sheet metal member 33, which extends across the casing 32, and is secured at the upper rear edge of the vertical baflle 34a. The lower front portion of the member 33 forms a perforated baille 32. The lower front edge of the banle 33 is welded, or

otherwise secured, to the casing 32. The lower front edges of the shelves 35 and 31 are provided with raised portions 40 and 4i, respectively,

for retaining the platters 42 and 42a containing perishable, articles to be displayed in positionthereon.

Air, in the closed compartment 30, is circulated therein by a fan contained in a casing 43, which is mounted on one end of the cooling unit 33. 10 The fan in the casing 43 draws air through the cooling unit 33 where it is cooled by passing across the heat absorbing. surfaces thereof, the cooled air then being discharged in the direction indicated by the arrows 44. The cooling unit 15 33 may be of the same type as the cooling unit i4, described above. The cooled air, discharged from the cooling unit 33, through the fan casing 43, passes upwardlyalong the rear wall of the casing 31 and is deflected outwardly through the 20 louvres 45 formed in the perforated baffle 36 by the projecting portion 32a of the casing 32. The louvres 45, in the vertical support or baflie 33, direct the cooled air downwardly over the articles supported on the shelves 35 and 31 and, 25 after passing .over these shelves, the air enters the louvres 46 formed in the lower perforated support 39. The air passing through the louvres 46 is drawn into the cooling unit 33, along the path indicated by the arrows 41, by the fan con- 80 tained in the casing 43. The orbital path of the cooling air is thus completed.

A transparent baffle 48 is provided, which extends across tiie lower portion of the transparent front panel 3| and spaced therefrom, thus pre- 85 venting the sweating of thelatter by contact with the cooled air passing downwardly over the shelves 35 and 31 into the louvres 46. Since the cooling air is caused to move in an orbital path, as described above, a stratum of warm air in the 40 upper portion of the compartment 30, and a stratum of circulating artificially cooled air in the lower portion of the compartment 30 are maintained.

While I have shown particular embodiments of 45 my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

50 What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A relatively high closed display compartment of the store-front type having a transparent front panel, a separable open top heat insulating 55 casing in said compartment having bottom front rear and side walls, the upper edge of said front wall of said casing extending adjacent the lower edge of said transparent front panel, means extending substantially across said open top heat 60 insulating casing for supporting articles in said compartment in a position to be readily visible through said transparent front panel, said compartment having a stratum of relatively warm air in the upper part thereof, and means located 65 in the lower portion of said heat insulating casing for cooling a stratum of air in the lower portion of said compartment and for positively circulating said stratum of artificially cooled air in an orbital path about said supporting means to cool articles 70 placed thereon. A

2. A relatively high, closed display compartment of the store-front type having a transparent front panel, a separable open top heat insulating casing in said compartment having bottom front 75 rear and side walls, the upper edge of said front wall extending adjacent the lower edge of said transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, supporting means including a series'of terraced shelves located above said cooling unit extending su'b- 5 stantially across the open top heat insulating casing for supporting articles at such an angle with respect to said transparent front panel as to be readily visible therethrough, a plurality of vertical supports between saidshelves, at least one of said supports being perforated to facilitate the passage of cooled air across an adjacent shelf, means for positively circulating air transversely of said compartment over the heat absorbing surfaces of said cooling unit, and then over articles carried on said supporting means, and means including a transparent bafile extending across the lower portion only of said transparent front panel and supported on the upper portion of said front wall of said heat insulating casing for deflecting cooled air approaching said transparent front panel toprevent sweating thereof.

3. A relatively high, closed display compartment of the store-front type having a transparent front panel, a heat insulating casing covering the floor and lower part of the side walls of said compartment, the upper edge of the front wall of said insulating casing extending adjacent the lower edge of said transparent front panel, a

cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, supporting means including a series of terraced shelves located above said cooling unit for supporting articles at such an angle with respect to said transparent front panel as to be readily visible therethrough, means for positively circulating air transversely of said compartment over the heat absorbing surfaces of said cooling unit and then over articles carried on said supporting means, means including a transparent vertical bailie extending across the lower portion 40 of said transparent front panel and less than half the height of said shelves for deflecting cooled air approaching said transparent front panel to prevent sweating thereof, and means for supporting said transparent baflie adjacent the top of the front wall of said insulating casing.

4. A relatively high, closed display compartment of the store-front type having a transparent front panel, a" separable open top heat insulating casing in said compartment having bottom front rear and side walls, the upper edge of said front wall of said heat insulating casing extending adjacent the lower edge of said transparent front panel, said compartment having a stratum of relatively warm air in the upper part thereof, a cooling unit located in said compartment, means for supporting articles in said compartment in a position to be readily visible through said transparent front panel, means for positively circulating air in the lower portion of said compartment over the heat absorbing surfaces of said cooling unit and then directing said air over articles carried on said first mentioned supporting means, and means including a transparent baiile extending across only the lower portion of said transparent front panel and supported in the upper portion of said front wall of said heat insulating casing for. deflecting cooled air approaching the same to prevent sweating thereof ing a stratum of cooled air in the lower portion of said compartment, means for supporting articles in said compartment in a position to be readily visible through said transparent front panel, means for positively circulating air in said compartment over the heat absorbing surfaces of said cooling unit, means for dividing said cooled air into a pluralityof divergent streams and then directing the same over articles carried on said first mentioned means, and means including a transparent baille extending across only a portion of said transparent front panel for deflecting cooled air approaching the same to prevent sweating thereof.

6. A closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, an L- shaped baliie located above said cooling unit and having an opening therein registering with the top of said cooling unit, supporting means providing for the circulation of air therethrough and located above said cooling unit for supporting articles at such an angle with respect to said transparent front panel as to be readily visible therethrough, means for positively circulating air transversely of said compartment over the heat absorbingsurfaces of said cooling unit and then overarticles carried on said supporting means, and means including a transparent bafiie extending across the lower portion only of said. transparent front panel for deflecting cooled air approaching the same to prevent sweating thereof.

7. A relatively high, closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, said compartment having a stratumof relatively warm air in the upper part thereof, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, means for supporting articles above said cooling unit and in a position to be readily visible' through said transparent front panel, means for positively circulating cooled ,air over the heat absorbing surfaces of said cooling unit and for creating a stratum of cooled air in the lower portion of said compartment, means for directing cooled airfrom said cooling unit outwardly toward the side walls of said compartment in a plurality of divergent streams across articles supported on said flrst mentioned means and back to the inlet of said cooling unit, and means including a transparent baiiie extending across the lower portion only of said transparent front panel for defleeting cooled air approaching the same to prevent sweating thereof.

8. A closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment and having an air inlet in the top thereof, an L-shaped baiile located above said cooling unit and havin anopeningthereinregisteringwithsaidairinlet, supporting means including a series of terraced shelves located above said cooling unit for supporting artices at a suflicient angle with respect to said transparent front panel to be readily visible therethrough, a plurality of vertical supports between said shelves, at least one of said supports being perforated to facilitate the passage of cooled air across an adjacent shelf, means for'positively circulating air from said cooling unit upwardly past the longitudinal edges of said L-shaped bale, across said shelves and downwardly to said inlet of said cooling unit, and means including a transparent baile extending across the lower portion only of said transparent front panel for deflectingcooled air in approachingthesametopreventsweatingthereof.

9. A closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment and having an air inlet in the top thereof, an L-shaped bame supported on the top of said cooling unit and having an opening therein registering with said air inlet, a shelf providing for the circulation of air therethrough and extending forwardly and downwardly from the rear edge of said bailie, a second shelf providing for the circulation of air therethrough and extending backwardly and upwardly from the front edge of said baiiie, a

vertical support extending between the adjacent edges of said shelves, said vertical support being perforated to facilitate the passage of cooled air across said shelves, means for positively circulating air from said cooling unit upwardly past the longitudinal edges of said L-shaped bame, across said shelves and downwardly to said inlet of said cooling unit, and means including a transparent baiiie extending across the lower portion only of said transparent front panel for deflecting'cooled' air approaching the same to prevent sweating thereof.

10. A closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, a balile extending vertically upward from the top of said cooling unit, supporting means carried by said baiiie for supporting articles at such an angle with respect to said transparent front panel as to be readily visible therethrough, means for positively circulating air transversely of said compartment over the heat absorbing surfaces of said cooling unit and then over articles carried on said supporting means, said last mentioned means including a baflle located above said supporting means for directing cooled air downwardly over said supporting means, and means including a transparent baiile extending across the lower por tion only of said transparent front panel for deflecting cooled air approaching the same to prevent sweating thereof.

11. A closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, a baflle extending about said cooling unit and vertically upward therefrom, vertically displaced shelves extending from said baiile on each side thereof, a vertical baiiie located above the rear edge of the uppermost shelf and provided with a series of louvres for directing cooled air downwardly across said shelves, and means including a transparent baflie extending across the lower portion only of said transparent front panel for preventing contact between said downwardly directed cooled air and said transparent front panel.

12. A closed display compartment having a transparent front panel, a cooling unit supported in the lower part of said compartment, a battle extending about said cooling unit and vertically upward therefrom, vertically displaced inclined shelves extending from said baiile on each side thereof, a vertical baiiie located above the rear edge of the uppermost shelf and provided with a series of louvres for directing cooled air downwardly across said shelves, and means including a transparent baflie extending across the lower portion only of said transparent front panel for panel.

ARTHUR '1'. MILLO'I'I.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,050,063. August 4, 19-36.

ARTHUR T. MILLOTT.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1 second column, line 20, for "aid" read air; page 5, second column, line 67, claim 4, for "in" read on; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of September, A. D. 1956.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

